Station selector for radio receivers



' June 1, 1937. E. EBBIGHAUSEN STATION SELECTOR FOR RADIO RECEIVERS Filed Aug. 7, 1955 INVENTOR E. EBB

l/GZUSEN ATTORNEY Patented June 1, 1937 UNITED sures onger STATION SELECTOR FOR RADIO RECEIVERS Elimar Ebbighausen, Berlin, Germany, assignor to Allgemeine Elektricitats Gesellschaft, Berlin,

Germany Application August 7, 1935, Serial No. 35,045 In Germany August 8, 1934 4 Claims.

The ever increasing number of broadcast stations and the development of efficient broadcast receiver sets make the provision of a clear and simply manipulable scale an absolute necessity.

According to former practice, the station names pertaining to the difierent wave bands were usually accommodated inside one or more frames or panels, and they were often distinguishable by dissimilar colors. However, such an arrangement can not be easily followed up and it complicates the locating of the stations especially where large sets containing 100 station names and more are involved. A division of the wave-length ranges into a plurality of frames results in large unused surfaces. If these latter are to be avoided, the great number of the stations contained in the medium wavelength range means very small and difficultly legible lettering.

This invention relates to a station selector for broadcast receivers in which all of these drawbacks are avoided.

According to the invention, marks for the transmitter stations are made upon a disk or dial which is fixedly secured to the spindle of the tuning condenser, the names of the transmitter stations being placed alphabetically adjacent a slit in the outer mask of the station selector. Inside the said slit, at the corresponding station names, there will then appear the corresponding marks when the receiver happens to be tuned to the stations in question.

By a masking means or diaphragm part which is actuated by the wave-band switch, those datum marks may be covered up which do not pertain to the wave-band in question. If light-rays are used to distinguish the stations, the said mask will permit of the penetration of light only for those station names which belong to the band of frequencies concerned.

This new station selector has the advantage that a very great number of station names in lettering of like size may be arranged alphabetically so that they are readily readable at a glance. The masking means actuated by the wave-band switch prevents two names of dissimilar wavelength being read at the same time, even if the tuning is secured by the same adjustment of the rotary condenser.

An exemplified embodiment of a station selector according to the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which;

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the station selector showing the front-most mask partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the station selector shown in Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a front view of disc 2 and its operating means.

I denotes the stationary masking piece which bears the list of station names adjacent a slot 5. These names are disposed alphabetically in superposition so that locating of any desired station is greatly simplified. Posteriorly of the stationary mask is a preferably circular diaphragm 2 which is actuated by the wave-band switch and is perforated as at H], II and H2. The perforated mask properly so-called for the marking of the transmitter stations is disposed in the rear of 2 and is designated by 3 in the drawing. The same is fixedly seated upon the spindle 6 of the tuning condenser shown diagrammatically at l and for the purpose of marking or indicating it presents recesses 8 through which, for instance, the rays coming from a light source 9 mounted in the rear of the mask are allowed to fall as shown in Fig. 3 the wave band switch of the tunable circuit C comprises a movable switch contact l secured to a slidable rod [3 and which cooperates with a fixed contact l6 connected to the coil of circuit C. The upper end of rod I3 is pivotally connected to disc 2 at H. Any suitable means may be provided for operating rod 13 and the wave change switch such as a rotatable cam M. In the long wave position shown, an aperture 8 is in alignment with the upper slot I0, cam it being set for a long wave tuning position.

Inside the range of long wavelengths these recesses could be somewhat longer inasmuch as the tuning is not quite so sharp inside this band.

Having described my invention what I claim as novel and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for indicating the position of a tuning device, comprising a vertical panel marked with a plurality of station names, a substantially circular member connected to said tuning device and provided with a plurality of indicators located at different distances from its center said indicators being arranged to align with said station names successively.

2. Means for indicating the position of a tuning device, comprising a panel marked with a plurality of station names, a member connected to and rotatable with said tuning means, said member being provided with a plurality of apertures arranged at different radii, and a light source mounted at the rear of said member whereby a portion of said panel adjacent a station name is illuminated by light passing through an aperture corresponding to the appropriate ada plurality of station indicia, a rotary member connected to said tuning means and provided with a plurality of indicating areas corresponding to said station indicia and a movable mask member interposed between said panel and said rotary member said mask being so shaped as to conceal certain of said indicating areas while permitting others of said areas to appear opposite said station indicia during adjustment of said tuning device.

ELIMAR EBBIGHAUSEN. 

